Learn From the Puppy Potty Training Mistakes of Other Pet Parents

By Beth Lazar

If you love the idea of raising a puppy, you may need to develop a sense of humor about puddles indoors for a while. Housebreaking a puppy is never easy. Nevertheless, many pet parents make it harder on themselves and their pets than they need to. If you find the going rough getting your puppy to see how important clean habits are, here are a few tips on where you might be going wrong.

Moving the “toilet”

Pet parents often try to get their puppies started on their potty training with pee pads. They set a pee pad down on a designated spot in the house and get their puppy trained to use it. This method, though, overlooks one important puppy trait – puppies never forget a habit they’ve learned well.

Once your puppy learns to use a specific spot in the house, it can be difficult to get him to unlearn the habit. If you forget to take your dog outside even once, you can be sure that he will head to his pee pad spot (whether it has a pad then or not).

Teach with rewards – not with punishment

Many exasperated pet parents can try to push their puppies to take their toilet training seriously by yelling at them when they make a mistake or forcing their faces into their leavings to show them how unpleasant they are.

Not only are such practices cruel, they are ineffective, as well. Puppies and dogs simply don’t have the inborn need to be clean about their “business”. Since they don’t understand what you are saying, they can’t actually grasp what you are angry about. Patience, positive encouragement and consistency are the only things that work.

If you don’t want a mess, learn to look for the signs

Whether you are potty training a puppy or a child, your training progresses smoothly only as long as you remain in close touch. For a long time at first, expecting your puppy or your child to come and actually tug at your dress is a recipe for disaster. You need to learn to read the signs.

With a puppy, the signs are usually sniffing, whining and a general state of anxiety. Since puppies have small bladders, they can only hold it in for about two hours at a time. Past an hour and a half you need to begin watching out for signs.

Right after you notice the signs, you should take your puppy out to his regular spot – something that offers a bit of privacy, works best.

Don’t hold every dog to the same standards

Puppy parents often put their pets under pressure to train faster because someone with a puppy down the street just managed to get their puppy trained in under two months. This doesn’t make sense.

While every dog may just be a dog to you, they are all actually different species with very different dispositions, personalities and maturity rates.

A Shiba Inu, a beautiful, average size Japanese breed, is known for its confidence and its loyalty. The breed is also for its affinity for cleanliness. They train quickly and need to be taken out each day to do their business.

The Siberian Husky is known for its friendly nature and its intelligence. It isn’t known for its affinity for cleanliness, though. Training a Husky can be difficult because these dogs just don’t get why their waste is objectionable material.

With time and patience, any dog can be house trained. Just understand that each dog has different personalities and that some will require a bit of extra time and love.